The Alienist

David Tennant and Alex Hassell clash as rival British TV moguls in this deliciously scandalous adaptation of Jilly Cooper's bonkbuster classic set in the glitzy 1980s television world. Stream on Hulu.

Using state-of-the-art technology and amazing skill with make-up and costuming, Chance, the main character, becomes literally a human target. In each episode of "Human Target," Chance assumes the identity and everyday life of a prominent person in danger. Describing himself as an "extreme bodyguard," Chance uses his wits, skills, and wise-cracking bravado to turn serious danger into a trap for the villains. The sinister evil-doers plot kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, and especially death; the "human target" plots capture. Not the kind of thing for which an ordinary guy usually would volunteer. "Human Target" TV show was praised by the critics and audiences for the quality of the acting"”especially the performances by Earl Haley, Jr., which make a somewhat implausible premise absolutely believable and compelling. Because "Human Target," a decidedly out-of-the-box crime drama, is loosely based on the DC comic series of the same name, the creators have no shortage of bad guys, nor do they struggle to find quirky characters for Chance to impersonate. Critics and audiences agree that the actors playing the three main characters go a long way toward redeeming the show's average, sometimes genuinely awkward writing. They wonder, though, will the actors be able to hold the viewers' attention and loyalty long enough for the writing to fulfill the promise in the premise?

Imagine! Once upon a time, Dr. McDreamy, star of "Grey's Anatomy" and a million women's fantasies, was uncomfortably married to Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh). Then, Dr. Montgomery proved complicated, compelling, and cute enough to warrant her own TV show"”"Private Practice." For a very little while, "Private Practice" TV series depended on viewers' basic understanding of "Grey's Anatomy," because it showed Dr. Montgomery, probably much better known simply as Addison, leaving Seattle Grace Hospital and joining the staff at Oceanside Wellness, a practice owned and operated by all of her old medical school buddies. A few of the early episodes depended on the good doctor's broken heart and separation anxiety for their drama and poignancy; after all, withdrawal from McDreamy takes its toll on a girl. But as "Private Practice" gained momentum and popularity, plots focused more and more on cases that challenge the doctors' ethics and skills. Despite her genius and surgical prowess, Dr. Montgomery suffers fierce bouts of self-doubt, making her accessible and an object of empathy for the show's predominantly female audience.

The Scribner authors who rose to 1930s and 1940s prominence under Max Perkins's skilled tutelage understood the best way to change the world is to represent it precisely--in minute detail and in all its grim, unforgiving, and frightening ugliness. MTV's "16 and Pregnant" brings the same principle to television, accurately and unblinkingly showing the lives of four expectant teen-agers, mercilessly exploiting every ugly stereotype of life on the perilous edge of poverty and powerlessness. The New York Times suggests, "The implicit message at the center of ["16 and Pregnant's] class prejudice tells us that if you're not setting out for Berkeley or Wesleyan, then raising a child when you ought to be working on the yearbook is as good a road to character development as any." The Times unfortunately mistakes power and poignancy for "prejudice." After viewing even one episode of "16 and Pregnant," any observant sophomore will make a headlong dash for Planned Parenthood, the glee club, and an SAT prep course.

You can compare Army Wives the television show to soap operas. There are similarities just as there are in real life. Maybe more comparable with Desperate Housewives though because of all they experience in a typical day. One "wife" is an Army brat who is used to the vagabond lifestyle of the military. Another, a former police officer, hires herself out as a surrogate mom to make some extra cash. There is also a male version of the Army wife, himself a shrink whose wife has become the first African American lieutenant colonel. There is plenty of jealousy, sex, and out-ranking plus some poignant moments thanks to the stresses involved in military life. Starring Kim Delaney ( NYPD Blue, The O.C.), Brigid Branagh (Criminal Minds, 24), Sally Pressman (Criminal Minds, Shark), Sterling K Brown (Detroit 1-8-7, Harry's Law), and Catherine Bell (The Good Witch, JAG). Former soap queen from All My Children, Susan Lucci joins the cast as the wife of a retired Brigadier General.

"Little Fires Everywhere" is a television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. The show premiered on Hulu in 2020 and consists of eight episodes. It is set in the 1990s and follows the intertwined lives of the wealthy Richardson family and a struggling single mother and her daughter.